Divine Dyads: Ancient Civilization in Tibet aims to comprehensively document the cultural and religious history of a neglected but vital part of Tibet, the Divine Dyads of the Byang thang. This work marshals a wide variety of resources in expounding the history and culture of these two areas, each revolving around a mountain and lake of epic geographical and mythological proportions. The focus of this work is the development of indigenous religion and mythology in these areas and its impact on the culture of the Byang thang and Tibet in general.

Divine Dyads Ancient Civilization in Tibet, John Vincent Bellezza, LTWA, Paperback, 1997, 496 Pages, $24.95

Dedication

Foreword

Publisher's Note

Acknowledgements

Introduction
1. The Nature of the Divine Dyads
2. Overview
3. The Objectives
4. Sacred Geography
5. The Divine Dyads Expeditions
6. The Physical Geography of the Divine Dyads
7. Problems Concerning the Classification of Time
8. The Divine Dyads in the Environmental Context

Chapter One-gNyan chen thang lha in History, Religion and Mythology
1. Introduction
2. gNyan chen thang lha - the Protector of the Doctrine
3. gNyan chen thang lha - the Yul lha
4. The Iconography of gNyan chen thang lha
5. gNyan chen thang lha - the Ancestral Deity
6. The Mother and Father of gNyan chen thang lha
7. gNyan chen thang lha as Other Deities
8. The Mandala of gNyan chen thang lha
9. The Spirit-Mediumship of gNyan chen thang lha

Chapter Two-gNam mtsho in History, Religion and Mythology
1. Introduction
2. The Personality of gNam mtsho phyug mo
3. The Portals of gNam mtsho
4. The Father and Mother of gNam mtsho
5. The Incarnations of gNam mtsho
6. The Goddess and the Lake
7. Ma rgyud
8. mTsho sman rgyal mo
9. dBal lcags mi mo lha
10. Yum sras
11. The Great Goddess
12. The Marriages of gNam mtsho
13. The Eighteen Headlands and the Eighteen Faces

Chapter Three-The Appeasement and Worship of gNam mtsho and gNyan chen thang lha
1. Introduction
2. gNyan chen thang lha as the Focus of Worship
3. gNam mtsho as the Focus of Worship

Chapter Four-A Survey of Srin mo do and bKra shis do
1. Srin mo do
2. The Biographies of the Saints of gNam mtsho
3. bKra shis do Overview
4. bKra shis do chung
5. bKra shis do chen - Introduction
6. The Pyramidal Nooks
7. mKha" grobrora
8. Brag ching gur phug
9. The Outbound Sites
10. kLu khang
11. The Final Leg of the sKor lam

Chapter Five-Survey of the Other Sacred Sites of gNam mtsho
1. Introduction
2. South Side of gNam mtsho
3. Gur chung dgon pa
4. gShen gyer
5. Do skya dgon pa
6. lCe do
7. Bon po Enclave
8. sTong shong phug
9. Bya do
10. Lug do and Ra mo do
11. rTa mchog ngang pa do. Bra gu rta ra and sNying do
12. Do Khra, Sha do. Do ring and Points East

Chapter Six-rTa rgo rin po che in History, Religion, and Mythology
1. Introduction
2. Bon and Buddhist Syncretism
3. rTa rgo - the Protector
4. rTa rgo - the Yul lha
5. The Personality of the unitary rTa rgo
6. The Theogony of rTa rgo rin po che
7. The Marriage of rTa rgo and Dang ra
8. rTa rgo mched bdun rol brgyad
9. The Spirit-Mediumship of rTa rgo

Chapter Seven-Dang ra g.yu mtsho in History, Religion and Mythology
1. Introduction
2. The Protectress
3. Other Facets of the Goddess' Personality
4. The Theogony of Dang ra
5. Dang ra rgyal mo and Her Sisterhood
6. The Zoomorphic Dang ra

Chapter Eight-The Appeasement and Worship of Dang ra g.yu mtsho and rTa rgo rin po che
1. Introduction
2. Pilgrimage
3. Scriptural Worship
4. Tshogs Offerings

Chapter Nine-A Survey of Dang ra g.yu mtsho and rTa rgo rin po che
1. Introduction
2. The Confluence of the rTa rgo and Ngang ma Rivers
3. To Dang ra g.yu mtsho
4. Phyug'tsho
5. Other Ancient Communities
6. g.Yu bun Monastery
7. Khyung rdzong
8. In the Vicinity of Gangs lung
9. g.Yung drung lha rtse
10. Om bu
11. The West Side of Dang ra g.yu mtsho
12. rTa rgo 'phrang and Gangs lung lha rtse
13. Se zhig Monastery and Environs

Appendices

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index